The present invention relates to the collection, storage, and disposal of cooking oil and grease. More specifically this invention relates to a spill-proof, heat-resistant container to hold used left-over cooking oil and grease.
Grease typically accumulates during the preparation of many types of food and sometime during the preparation of a meal there arises a need to discard or store the accumulated cooking grease.
It is common practice to store the grease in jars, cans, plastic cups, or other containers. Besides being unsightly, these containers can break or leak because they were not intended to accommodate a hot substance. The escaping grease can cause potentially serious injuries or even start a fire. In addition, these containers typically do not have lids and can be knocked over causing another potential hazard.
Disposing of the grease can also be a problem. Pouring the grease into a plastic garbage bag is undesirable because of the odors and because the hot grease may break through the plastic bag. The grease will soak through a paper bag. Pouring the grease down the sink drain is a major source of drain clogs and plumbing difficulties.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a covered container for collecting grease and oil for later reuse or disposal. This container would have a sealed lid to keep the contents from spilling and spreading unpleasant odors. Additionally, the container would be inexpensive enough that it could be thrown away when it was filled.
The prior art discloses containers which are too expensive to be disposable thus they must be emptied and cleaned, making them inefficient for personal use. Additionally, many of these containers do not have sealed lids, thus the contents can be spilled out if the container is knocked over. The present invention overcomes all of these problems by providing an inexpensive, spill-proof container for grease storage and disposal.
The present invention provides a novel device for safely and effectively storing and disposing of cooking grease or oil. The present invention overcomes the problems described in the prior art associated with the normal storage and disposal of grease and oil by providing a grease container comprising an outer container, an inner container conformably shaped and dimensioned to be received within the outer container, and a removable lid for closing an opening of the inner container. The removable lid includes an aperture therethrough and a valve which blocks the aperture when the container is upset.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the detailed description of the drawings.